Wireless communication networks provide a diverse set of voice and data communication services for subscribers via mobile handsets and related mobile communication devices. A terrestrial radio access network is employed to transmit and receive information wirelessly to the mobile handsets, enabling subscribers to move with their mobile handsets while maintaining communication with the wireless communication network. If an event occurs that disrupts the transmission or reception of information between the mobile handset and the radio access network, quality of communication can be negatively affected and, in severe cases, the communication can be interrupted entirely. Common causes of such events can include natural or electromechanical interference, signal attenuation from intervening objects or the like, signal scattering phenomenon, and so on. These and similar events are common causes of disruptions in wireless communication. They also present a dynamic challenge for network operators attempting to achieve high quality of service for subscribers.
In order to qualify the problem of network communication problems for analysis and correction, network operators often record call disturbances after they occur. For instance, if a particular call or data session is terminated without proper communication protocol, the termination can be tagged as a call drop. Certain information about the call drop can be recorded to study the event. Suitable information can include time of the call drop, and the base station(s) serving the particular call or data session. Since the location of network base stations are known, recording the base station(s) serving the particular call or data session gives an estimate of location of the call drop. The time of the call drop and the base station(s) and its location(s) can be recorded as an event by a mobile network.
Call drop events can be aggregated and analyzed over time as a reflection of network regions with increased likelihood of communication problems. Network operators can address these problems by bolstering radio access network infrastructure in a problem region, adding specialized equipment such as micro or mini base stations, setting up repeater base stations to avoid or mitigate interference, and so on. General knowledge of call drop events can provide a first degree of approximation of underlying problems.